Slow Cooker Lentil Soup With Sausage and Apples

Name: Slow Cooker Lentil Soup With Sausage and Apples
Total time: 8 h 30 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 large yellow or red onion, finely chopped; Kosher salt and black pepper; 2 tart-firm apples, such as Honeycrisp, peeled and diced; 3 celery stalks, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces; 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 1 fresh sage sprig, leaves chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon dried sage; 1 fresh thyme sprig; 1 1/2 cups/12 ounces dry hard cider (see Tip); 3/4 pound smoked sausage, such as kielbasa or Andouille, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick coins; 1 1/2 cups/10 ounces dried small green lentils (also called French lentils or lentils du Puy); 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 2 teaspoons cider vinegar; 1/4 cup sour cream; 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard; 4 to 6 scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish

By Sarah DiGregorio

Published Nov. 23, 2020

Slow Cooker Lentil Soup With Sausage and Apples — David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Total Time: 8½ hours
Rating: 4(538)
Comments: Read comments

This simple slow cooker lentil soup is flavored with tart apple and hearty smoked sausage, and finished with a little sour cream and mustard. If you don’t have time to sauté the onions and apples, you can skip that step, going straight to Step 2 and putting the ingredients directly into the slow cooker. Small green lentils (also called French lentils or lentils du Puy) have a peppery flavor and keep their shape when cooked instead of falling apart, giving the soup an appealing texture. However, you could also use black lentils or easier-to-find brown lentils, but keep in mind that brown lentils will fall apart as they cook, creating a thicker stew. (Here is the stovetop version of this soup.)

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

2tablespoons unsalted butter
1large yellow or red onion, finely chopped
Kosher salt and black pepper
2tart-firm apples, such as Honeycrisp, peeled and diced
3celery stalks, chopped into ½-inch pieces
6garlic cloves, finely chopped
1fresh sage sprig, leaves chopped, or ½ teaspoon dried sage
1fresh thyme sprig
1½cups/12 ounces dry hard cider (see Tip)
¾pound smoked sausage, such as kielbasa or Andouille, sliced into ½-inch-thick coins
1½cups/10 ounces dried small green lentils (also called French lentils or lentils du Puy)
¼teaspoon ground nutmeg
2teaspoons cider vinegar
¼cup sour cream
2teaspoons Dijon mustard
4 to 6scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Melt the butter in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, season with salt, and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add half the diced apples and cook, stirring until softened, adjusting the heat as necessary to avoid scorching, about 5 minutes. Add the celery, garlic, sage and thyme, and stir to combine. Pour in the cider and let it come to a bubble. Scrape the mixture into a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker.
Step 2
Add the sausage, lentils, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt and a generous amount of black pepper to the slow cooker; pour in 3 cups water. Cover and cook on low until the lentils are tender and the flavors are mellowed and blended, about 8 hours. The soup holds well on the warm setting.
Step 3
Just before you are ready to eat, add the vinegar. Stir together the sour cream with the mustard, then stir the mixture into the soup. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Serve in bowls topped with the scallions and remaining chopped apple.

Tip

Any sparkling or still dry hard cider works well in this recipe. In a pinch, you can substitute dry white wine and mix in a few spoonfuls of apple juice, if you have it. For a nonalcoholic option, use chicken or vegetable stock, but increase the vinegar a bit at the end for tartness.

Ratings

4 out of 5

538 user ratings

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Comments

Christa4 years ago

This soup was very good with an interesting complexity of complimentary flavors. But it required a LOT of prep time--get up early! I'm eating it for dinner. Used plain brown lentils, and it was fine. Chop only ONE apple as you prep your ingredients: otherwise, your other chopped apple will have to sit in the fridge all day.

Kippy3 years ago

This recipe is so hearty and satisfying in the winter. I’ll be honest, I skipped the prep cooking and just chopped and threw everything in the slow cooker. It’s delicious.

Erin W4 years ago

A cup and half is definitely not enough liquid. I probably added another 2-3 cups of water and broth to even have the lentils covered, and over the course of cooking almost all of that liquid evaporated out. Good soup though!

Matt2 months ago

This was unexpectedly very good!! I didn't have sage, so I used tarragon. I also cooked in the pressure cooker for 40 minutes, and it came out great. I also subbed sour cream for greek yogurt.

jcs4 months ago

Oh my - delicious! I was tempted to sub wine for cider when I realized I didn’t have the cider on hand. SO glad I texted my neighbor who came up with a spare can for me. Only had black lentils - perfection using my instant pot for 25 minutes. TY for previous comments. Served with extra kielbasa coins browned to a crisp. We agree this is a keeper. Great recipe!

DP5 months ago

Next time, I will try it with about half their recommended garlic, and will sauté the garlic and sausage some to get a little brown on them before I add them to the slow cooker (I substituted Field Roast Italian Vegetarian sausage with fennel) I also didn’t have hard cider so I used regular cider. Otherwise I really enjoyed this dish!

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